Former EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini was one of the three people arrested by Belgian police on Tuesday, in a sprawling fraud investigation into the financing of a Bruges academy for young diplomats, two people with knowledge of the investigation told Euractiv and its partner De Standaard, European news websites reported.
Belgian police have raided the EU’s diplomatic service, the College of Europe, and private homes as part of a probe into alleged misuse of EU funds, according to people familiar with the investigation and witnesses.
A spokesperson for the College, where Mogherini has been rector since 2020, said he did not know if she had been arrested and refused to comment further. Mogherini ran the European External Action Service (EEAS) from 2014 to 2019 and has been the director of the Academy since 2022.
Another College of Europe employee, involved in the executive education department, was also detained, the person said.
Top European Commission official Stefano Sannino was also detained. Sannino was previously the EEAS secretary-general under Mogherini, during the period when the Diplomatic Academy was created.
The Commission confirmed that the police were present on Tuesday at the EEAS buildings, and this is part of the ongoing investigation into activities carried out during the previous mandate. It refused to provide further information, as an investigation is underway.
MNA
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